


Hellraiser

by young_thrills_and_kills



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Band, Angst but just for a second, But definitely the content you deserve, Cocky!Frank, Drive thrus, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Frank's a lil shit but he's good at flirting, Gerard is sleepy, Latin, M/M, Maybe not the content you want, Patrick is done with their shit, Redemption, Shitty philosophy, Tired!Gerard, Wendy's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 07:02:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20720054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/young_thrills_and_kills/pseuds/young_thrills_and_kills
Summary: “Do you believe in redemption?”Gerard turns around, puzzled. “What?”“Like, do you believe that humans are, in the end, redeemable creatures? Or are we damned? Is this Hell?”Mikey asks Gerard to cover a shift for him. He meets a shitty drive-through philosopher at one am. Shenanigans ensue, including an overuse of Latin. First Meeting!AU





	Hellraiser

Gerard is _ never _ covering the late night shift at the drive-thru _ ever _ again. He doesn’t care how much Mikey begs him and bribes him. He doesn’t care if its the only time Mikey can see his fucking boyfriend. His eyes are blurry, he’s weirdly cold, and he needs coffee like he needs fucking air. Only, of course, the goddamn coffee machine’s broken. 

So, yeah, Gerard’s night is going _ fucking fantastic _.

While he’s standing in the back cursing his brother for getting him stuck at this nasty-ass restaurant (if you can even call it that) at 1 am (without _ anyone else _ there, he might add), he sees a car pull up to the drive thru spot. 

Gerard picks up the mic. “Hi. Welcome to Wendy’s, how may I help you?”

He must sound less than enthusiastic, because it takes the guy a second to answer, and the first thing he says is, “Bad night, huh?”

Gerard makes a noncommittal noise into the mic and waits for him to start placing his order.

There’s a moment of silence before the guy starts talking again. “Uh, okay. I’ll have a medium vanilla Frosty and medium fries.”

“Will that be all?” Gerard asks frigidly. He knows he’s being a little harsh, but he’s so fucking tired he can’t bring himself to care. 

“Yeah.”

“Okay, your total is $5.12. It might take a couple of minutes until I’m at the window because there’s no one else here.” Gerard kills the mic connection before the guy can respond. He glances at his watch. Just another 30 minutes. Then he can go home and yell at Mikey for making him do this before taking a really fucking long nap. 

Gerard loses himself in the simple food prep, and it’s all over much too soon. He drags his feet on the way to the window. He has no desire to talk to anyone. He partially agreed to cover the shift _ because _ he thought he wouldn’t be talking to people. But now he’s got _ this _ inconsiderate idiot coming to Wendy’s at 1am to disturb his fucking peace and quiet. 

Gerard is ready to hand over the food and collect the money with the sourest look possible on his face, to keep the guy from talking to him any more than necessary. Unfortunately, the universe seems to have other plans, because Gerard stops thinking about how annoying it was to have to deal with people at 1am as soon as he looks at the guy’s face.

It was the sort of face Gerard would love to draw, all soft angles and lovely shadows. He has black studs in his ears and a single silver lip ring in. Tattoos creep up his neck like shadows, and he has some letters done across his knuckles. Gerard desperately wants a closer look. He’s always loved tattoos, despite the fact that he would never get one. Unfortunately, Gerard can’t see any more of the guy’s ink, because he’s wearing, like _ three _ jackets. In fucking _ July _. 

It’s honestly sort of endearing.

Gerard’s plan to be an asshole flies out of the window. He wants to ask for the guy’s number, but he knows that someone that badass isn’t going to be interested in a tall, nerdy guy with dark hair, eyeliner, and no social life. So, he settles for smiling hugely as he hands over the guy’s food, hoping he’ll at least get a smile back. 

The guy flashes a grin, and hands over six dollars in cash. 

“Thanks, uh…” He glances at Gerard’s name tag. “Gerard.”

Hearing the guy say Gerard’s name out loud makes him want to melt into a puddle on the floor, but he miraculously manages to maintain his solidity. 

“Just let me get you some change.” His voice seems uneven, but the guy doesn’t seem to notice. As Gerard turns towards the cash register, though, the guy’s voice stops him:

“Do you believe in redemption?”

Gerard turns around, puzzled. “_What_?”

“Like, do you believe that humans are, in the end, redeemable creatures? Or are we damned? Is this Hell?”

Gerard rubs his eyes. “Look, man-”

“Frank.” Fuck, that’s a hot name. Goddamnit.

“Frank. Why are you asking me this? At _ one am _ ? You don’t know me. And the first conversation you try to start with me is about _ redemption _?”

Frank grins that quicksilver smile again. “You’re the minion of a ruthless enterprise.” He gestures to the Wendy’s sign flickering above his head. “But, a job’s a job. Does that make you a sinner, or a saint? I figure it’s a fair question.”

Gerard’s thoughts get a little darker. “I’m a sinner,” he says without hesitation.

Frank seems taken aback. “That didn’t take much consideration.”

“It didn’t need it.” Gerard thinks about the alcohol, the harder drugs. The sleeplessness, the nightmares, the paralysis. “I’m no saint.”

“Well, then, can you be redeemed?”

Gerard smiles then, a sickly sweet smile of insincerity. “Who knows? _ Flectere si nequeo superos, acheronta movebo. _” His tone is near-mocking. 

“Latin. What does it mean?”

Gerard translates in a monotone. “If I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell.”

There is a moment of quiet.

“Who said it?” Frank asks softly.

“Virgil. _ The Aeneid_.”

Suddenly, Frank opens the door of his car, a determined look in his eyes. He makes eye contact with Gerard, then pushes himself up onto the ledge of the drive-thru window. 

“If that’s your burden, let me help you lift it,” Frank says, a little breathless. His face is very close to Gerard’s.

Gerard blushes and averts his eyes. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”

Frank laughs. “Of course it is. We’ve all got our problems. Helps to have someone else carry ‘em once in a while.”

Gerard sighs softly. “I think mine are a little too heavy for that kind of thing.” 

Their heads move closer together, almost of their own volition.

“Well, that means you’re strong. _ Ignis aurum probat_.”

“Fire tests gold.”

“You aren’t the only one who knows their Latin.”

Frank’s lips brush Gerard’s, and he feels a spark rush through his veins.

There’s a yell from the other end of the Wendy’s. Gerard jerks his head up, almost knocking his skull into Frank’s nose.

Patrick, whose shift starts at 1:30, is standing in the doorway, eyes averted. “Gerard! Are you _ seriously _ kissing a _ customer_? _ In the drive-thru window_?”

Gerard is at a loss for words. Frank answers for him.

“Yes. He is.”

Patrick continues to cover his eyes. “You have five minutes to stop kissing and _ leave_, or I swear to God I’ll call Billie on you. And you know what Billie’s like when he’s pissed.” He storms out. “_Five minutes_!” he calls before the door shuts.

Frank grins. “Catch you later, hellraiser.” He hops off the drive-thru ledge. 

Gerard smiles at him, still dazed from the kiss. Frank drives away. 

Then, Gerard realizes something.

He hops up on the drive-thru window, snatches the brown paper bag off the counter, then starts running after Frank.

“Hey! Hey, idiot, you forgot your fucking _ food_.” 

He chases the small black car, smiling so wide his lips hurt. Maybe taking the midnight shift wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Not that he'll ever tell Mikey. 

  


**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comments are greatly appreciated! I have another short oneshot kind of like this in the works, I'll probably post it tomorrow if this one does okay. Anyway, it's 4am and I need to sign off, but I had so much fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed it too!


End file.
